Willie Davis, baseball player, 182 home runs, 1960-1979

Willie Davis

Born: 4/15/1940 in Mineral Springs, AR, USA

Died: 3/9/2010 in Burbank, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1960-09-08 | Final Game: 1979-09-30

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 180 lbs

Full name: William Henry Davis

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Biography

Willie Davis was a prominent Major League Baseball player whose career spanned from 1960 to 1979. Born in 1940, Davis established himself as a dynamic position player, known for his speed and powerful batting. Over the course of 2,429 games, he recorded 2,561 hits, a batting average of .279, and drove in 1,053 RBIs. His ability to steal bases was particularly notable, as he amassed a total of 398 stolen bases, showcasing his aggressive style of play that was characteristic of the era in which he competed. Davis was selected as an All-Star twice during his career, reflecting his status as one of the top players of his time. His contributions were especially significant in the context of the 1960s and 1970s, an era marked by both offensive excitement and the evolving strategies of the game. With 182 home runs to his name, he was not only a threat on the base paths but also a consistent power hitter. Willie Davis remains a celebrated figure in baseball history, remembered for his impressive career achievements and his influence on the game during a dynamic period.

Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
58.0 55.0 11.0 17.0 3.0 1.0 1.0 5.0 3.0 0 0 0.309 0.345 0.455 0.800

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

Season PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1937 58.0 55.0 11.0 17.0 3.0 1.0 1.0 5.0 3.0 0 0 0.309 0.345 0.455 0.800

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
2429 9174 1217 2561 395 138 182 1053 398 418 977 0.279 0.311 0.412 0.723 5178.0

Career AVG .279 vs. league average .252 across their career seasons — +10.8% above league average.

Career OBP .311 vs. league average .318 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .412 vs. league average .374 across their career seasons — +10.2% above league average.

Career OPS 0.723 vs. league average 0.692 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1960 LAD NL 22 88 12 28 6 1 2 10 3 4 12 0.318 .255 (+25%) .323 (+7%) .387 (+23%) .711 (+16%) 203.1
1961 LAD NL 128 339 56 86 19 6 12 45 12 27 46 0.254 .258 (-2%) .328 (-4%) .399 (+13%) .727 (+5%) 246.3
1962 LAD NL 157 600 103 171 18 10 21 85 32 42 72 0.285 .257 (+11%) .326 (+2%) .393 (+15%) .719 (+9%) 978.0
1963 LAD NL 156 515 60 126 19 8 9 60 25 25 61 0.245 .246 (-1%) .308 (-9%) .371 (-2%) .680 (-5%) -707.1
1964 LAD NL 157 613 91 180 23 7 12 77 42 22 59 0.294 .250 (+17%) .312 (+1%) .377 (+9%) .690 (+6%) 453.5
1965 LAD NL 142 558 52 133 24 3 10 57 25 14 81 0.238 .245 (-3%) .310 (-15%) .371 (-7%) .682 (-11%) -1366.9
1966 LAD NL 153 624 74 177 31 6 11 61 21 15 68 0.284 .248 (+14%) .309 (-2%) .376 (+8%) .685 (+3%) 146.9
1967 LAD NL 143 569 65 146 27 9 6 41 20 29 65 0.257 .242 (+6%) .306 (-4%) .357 (+3%) .663 (avg) -207.4
1968 LAD NL 160 643 86 161 24 10 7 31 36 31 88 0.250 .236 (+6%) .298 (-5%) .340 (+3%) .638 (-1%) -293.0
1969 LAD NL 129 498 66 155 23 8 11 59 24 33 39 0.311 .248 (+25%) .320 (+11%) .369 (+23%) .689 (+18%) 1515.1
1970 LAD NL 146 593 92 181 23 16 8 93 38 29 54 0.305 .253 (+20%) .325 (+3%) .385 (+14%) .711 (+9%) 755.6
1971 LAD NL 158 641 84 198 33 10 10 74 20 23 47 0.309 .249 (+24%) .316 (+4%) .365 (+20%) .682 (+13%) 1245.8
1972 LAD NL 149 615 81 178 22 7 19 79 20 27 61 0.289 .243 (+19%) .310 (+2%) .353 (+25%) .664 (+14%) 1296.7
1973 LAD NL 152 599 82 171 29 9 16 77 17 29 62 0.285 .256 (+11%) .325 (-1%) .378 (+17%) .703 (+9%) 730.5
1974 WSN NL 153 611 86 180 27 9 12 89 25 27 69 0.295 .256 (+15%) .324 (-1%) .369 (+16%) .693 (+8%) 633.1
1975 TEX AL 42 169 16 42 8 2 5 17 13 4 25 0.249 .257 (-4%) .327 (-17%) .374 (+9%) .701 (-3%) -170.0
1975 STL NL 98 350 41 102 19 6 6 50 10 14 27 0.291 .257 (+13%) .327 (-2%) .374 (+15%) .701 (+7%) -170.0
1976 SDP NL 141 493 61 132 18 10 5 46 14 19 34 0.268 .255 (+5%) .320 (-8%) .360 (+4%) .681 (-2%) -382.2
1979 LAA AL 43 56 9 14 2 1 0 2 1 4 7 0.250 .265 (-6%) .329 (-9%) .397 (-19%) .727 (-15%) -141.4

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
17 56 6 10 3 0 0 3 0 12 0.179

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1979 ALCS CAL 2 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.500
1966 WS LAN 4 16 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 0.062
1965 WS LAN 7 26 3 6 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.231
1963 WS LAN 4 12 2 2 2 0 0 3 0 6 0.167

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 2323 2219 5449 143 127 23

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1960 LAN OF 22 21 52 1 1 0
1961 LAN OF 114 84 224 4 4 1
1962 LAN OF 156 152 379 13 15 0
1963 LAN OF 153 139 337 16 8 3
1964 LAN OF 155 152 400 16 7 2
1965 LAN OF 141 136 318 6 11 1
1966 LAN OF 152 150 347 9 11 0
1967 LAN OF 138 135 300 6 9 2
1968 LAN OF 158 157 345 9 10 2
1969 LAN OF 125 122 271 8 6 1
1970 LAN OF 143 139 342 12 3 4
1971 LAN OF 157 153 404 7 8 0
1972 LAN OF 146 146 373 10 5 1
1973 LAN OF 146 145 344 6 7 0
1974 MON OF 151 144 369 8 12 1
1975 TEX OF 42 39 100 1 1 1
1975 SLN OF 89 81 187 5 6 2
1976 SDN OF 128 121 349 6 3 2
1979 CAL OF 7 3 8 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Left Field 12
Center Field 2239
Right Field 79
Designated Hitter 8

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1973 Gold Glove OF
1973 Player of the Week Week of 1973-07-13
1972 Gold Glove OF
1971 Gold Glove OF
1971 TSN All-Star OF

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1973 Most Valuable Player NL 16th 12.0 336 0
1971 Most Valuable Player NL 16th 13.0 336 0
1969 Most Valuable Player NL 21th 7.0 336 0
1966 Most Valuable Player NL 28th 1.0 280 0